The Rose of May
by SkipChanDesu
Summary: It all started with the order to capture Princess Garnet and retrieve the Royal Pendant. But Steiner wasn't the only one to get on the Prima Vista... What would happen if Beatrix also got onboard? How would the story develop? If you're curious, hop on a new and refreshing journey with our Final Fantasy IX heroes and all their new shananigans! :D
1. I want to be your Canary

The sky was clear and the sun was shining. The excitement of the population reached all the way from town to the castle. Nobles from all over the continent came to Alexandria so they could enjoy the most famous play of the kingdom "I want to be your Canary".

Beatrix was bored from nothing to do, since the play wouldn't start until later in the evening. She decided to take a walk through the streets. As she was leaving, a man covered in silver armor stopped her with a loud "Hey!". It was Steiner. She hated the man. She thought he was annoying and nosy.

"Where do you think you're going? We have a duty to fulfill: Guard our magnificent Queen and Princess!"

Beatrix gave him a hard look and proceeded out the main door of the castle, ignoring him.

It was just a stupid play. It's not like anything major would happen until later in the evening, she thought. Even if it did, Steiner and the troops would be more than enough to resolve the problem.

* * *

><p>The so awaited show was about to start. All the nobles were gathered to watch. And not only the nobles. A few low-leveled people managed to enter the premisses but it didn't really matter.<p>

In the highest balcony of the highest castle tower sat Queen Brahne with her fan in her right hand and to her left, the gorgeous Princess Garnet. Guarding the door on the back, stood Steiner with his sword in hand.

Beatrix stood somewhere in the balcony.

Fireworks painted the sky like a canvas and cheers and claps adorned the background noise.

Then, a man entered the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" His voice cut through the crowd's. "Tonight's performance is a story that takes place long, long ago." The man proceeds to narrate the play and, eventually, the actors entered the scene.

The crowd was hot on cheers and whistles during a certain fight between two actors. Of all the 100 nobles present, 63 were impressed. As for Queen Brahne, she was quite impressed. A few gil coins were seen flying down from the stands to the stage.

As for Garnet, it seems like she sneaked out mid-way through the play.

Minutes later, two strange looking clowns, one wearing white and blue clothes and make-up, the other white and red, came running to the balcony claiming they had to see the Queen but Steiner halted them.

Beatrix intervened on the scene.

"Is it an emergency?"

"An emergency, it is!" Answered Thorn.

"A veritable emergency of terrible urgency!" Replied Zorn.

The female general made her way to the Queen's side, letting her know of the situation at hand.

Brahne couldn't care less where her daughter had gone. Although, when Beatrix told her the girl had the Royal Pendant with her, the Queen's face turned red with anger.

Steiner and Beatrix were then sent to retrieve the foolish Princess.

The armored man ran as fast as he could around the castle area scolding his men who were clearly slacking off, along the way.

He found himself ascending some circular stairs located at the most western part of the building.

On the other hand, Beatrix realized some suspicious movements within the castle. Her investigation led her directly to the Tantalus' ship. There, she found the Princess hiding behind a blond boy with a monkey tail.

"You, peasant! Back away from Princess Garnet at once or face my blade!"

The monkey boy did not budge an inch.

The female general unsheathed her sword and prepared to attack him but, at that instant Steiner showed up followed by one of his Pluto Knights.

"I'm not giving the Princess back or my name isn't Zidane!" The boy claimed.

The Pluto knight suddenly stripped his armor and from beneath it appeared several oglops.

Steiner jumped with an "EEEP!" clashing with his fellow general, giving Zidane and Garnet time to escape into some elevator like platforms. Those platforms rose a second later, leading them to the play's stage.

Beatrix and Steiner followed.

Upon noticing were they stood, Zidane whispered to his fellow crew members to improvise.

"Cornelia!" Marcus started, directing his speech to Garnet.

"Oh, Marcus!" She followed his cue.

Cornelia's father turned to the armored man. "Cornelia will only marry this man, Prince Shneider!"

Steiner was rather confused so he just stood there with a dumbfounded face.

Beatrix couldn't stand for that senseless game and quickly rose her sword up to the air to make a stand.

When Zidane noticed her intentions, he took a defensive stance.

"You shan't stop the love between Cornelia and Marcus!"

A fight began.

"I shall cut thee down!" Beatrix threatened.

* * *

><p>From the royal balcony, Queen Brahne laughed. She was enjoying the new adaptation of the play, not recognizing her own daughter on the stage, since she had a hood over her head.<p>

But as the fight unfolded, the hood dropped revealing Garnet and the precious Royal Pendant.

Seeing her daughter standing in the stage, fury filled her mind. She ordered the guards standing next to her to shoot at the ship.

The Tantalus crew responded quickly to the attacks by starting the engine and trying to turn the tail.

Amongst the confusion, a boy with a pointy-hat fell onboard.

Zidane helped him up.

Beatrix still held her sword in hand.

Out of the blue, a Bomb was released.

"Uh-oh...!" Zidane shouted. "You know how to fight, kid?" He asked the pointy-hat boy.

There was no time to answer as the Bomb swiftly flew at them.

They all assumed a defensive stance.

Steiner finally snapped out of his own confusion and joined the monster and Beatrix.

The pointy-hat boy started casting a fire magic at the female foe.

Zidane's eyes widened in awe. That was the answer to his question.

"Alright! Let's do this!"

Marcus ran at the Bomb and thrust his sword at it, not inflicting much damage, though. Actually, it made things even worth since the Bomb started growing and growing and growing...

"This is gonna be hard, Zidane!" He complained.

A few minutes into the battle, the Bomb finally exploded.

Queen Brahne rejoiced, as she thought the ship had been destroyed.

But, out of the smoke, the Prima Vista rose and still managed to waddle away even after being pretty damaged.

"We're gonna crash!" Cinna yelled from the engine room, downstairs.

* * *

><p><em>Obs: Well, so far nothing much has changed from the original game. But from now on, how will things develop? How will Beatrix proceed?<em>

_Guess you'll find out in the next chapter! :D_


	2. Where's Garnet?

Beatrix woke up from all the ruckus going on and the smell of fire. She looked around only to see that the Prima Vista had crashed in a dark forest. She picked herself up.

"...Maybe she fell off, got squashed under the ship." Said Zenero

She heard him from the distance and came to the conclusion he was talking about the Princess.

"Not good. The Princess needs to be alive...!" She thought to herself.

Next to her, still lying on the ground was Steiner.

She ignored the man and left to take a look around the forest. If Garnet was still alive, she wouldn't have gone far.

"Hey you, sword girl!" It was Zidane. "You're going to look for Garnet, right? I'm going with you." He looked around for a second. "The pointy-hat boy isn't here either. Maybe he's with her."

"Do as you wish. But once we find her, she's coming with me and you lot shall be dead meat." Beatrix coldly replied.

"Ah~ And you're such a babe... What a waste." Zidane whispered.

As the other members of Tantalus were busy saving as much luggage and weapons as possible, they headed south, down a hollow tree trunk. When they emerged on the other side, they found themselves on a swamp-like area filled with odd mushrooms and trees on both sides.

Zidane proceeded with caution. You can never be sure when something will leapt at you in the Evil Forest. It's called evil for a reason, right?

He looked at the woman next to him and noticed she remained as composed as ever. Wasn't she afraid?

Suddenly, she halted her movements.

"What's wrong?" The monkey boy asked but obtained no answer.

A few seconds later, a pack of Fangs came running at them, wildly.

Zidane readied his twin blades but before he could even do anything, the Fangs were completely obliterated by the female general.

He glanced at her one more time and broke into a cold sweat. If he had to face her directly, he wouldn't stand a chance. He needed to find a way to save Garnet and escape the clutches of the tyrant in front of him.

"Let's continue." Beatrix voiced, breaking the silence which had installed after she killed the monsters.

After walking some more, they spotted the pointy-hat boy.

"Sh-she's in trouble..." He shivered.

Up ahead, stood a big monster with Garnet trapped inside it.

Beatrix ran towards it with grace so she could save the Princess.

Zidane followed behind her, his body shining.

"What is that light?!" They heard Steiner shouting. Good timing.

"I don't know. It somehow raises my power!"

Zidane became faster as well, striking the monster with energy accumulated in his blades.

Beatrix wasn't going to stand still either, and sliced with an upward thrust.

The monster wept and fled the area almost instantly.

"Princess? Princess!" Steiner fell on his hands and knees. Despair evident in his eyes.

"It's my fault... I was too scared to cast any spells..." The mage boy said.

"At least, you're not hurt. We'll get Garnet back, so don't worry." Zidane comforted him. "Hey, what's your name, by the way? Mine's Zidane."

"Vivi..."

At that moment, Beatrix took a good look at the mage boy. She didn't realize it before but, didn't he awfully look like one of those...? Anyway, this wasn't the time to be idling around wondering about it. She had a mission to complete, after all.

"Vivi, can you go back to the ship and let everyone know what's happening? And tell'em we're bustin' outta here as soon as we rescue the Princess."

The boy adjusted his hat in agreement and went on his way.

Steiner wasn't so sure if it was a good idea to let him go alone. What if another monster got him next?

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, almost letting out smoke from her nostrils from anger was Queen Brahne.<p>

"Oh, what a disaster! Zorn, Thorn! Have you heard anything from Beatrix yet?"

"Beatrix has yet to contact us!"

"Contact us Beatrix still has to!"

The Queen smashed her fan violently into the right arm rest of her extravagant and luxurious chair.

"Your Majesty!" A female soldier called. "According to the ship's direction and state when it left town, it probably crashed somewhere around Evil Forest."

The fat woman scratched her chin, deep in thought.

"Good, it isn't very far from here. If anything goes wrong, she can also make her way to Dali. I'll be patient for a while longer."

* * *

><p>Back to the general and the others, they were roaming the forest again, looking for clues to where the monster could have gone. It probably went back to its master so they needed to find the nest.<p>

The path they opted for was pretty straightforward and soon, they reached a clearing in the forest. A small fountain stood in the middle and right next to it was a moogle.

"Monty, is that you?" Beatrix asked as she approached the tiny creature.

"Ah, Beatrix! It's been a while. Got any mail for me?"

The woman searched through her pockets. "As a matter of fact, I do. Here you go."

The moogle thanked.

"Have you seen anything out of the ordinary around here?" Beatrix continued her inquiry.

"Now that you mention it... I saw a few monsters gathering up ahead. It sent shivers down my spine... Oh! And I got a letter from Stiltzkin. He said he's somewhere really cold!"

"I see. I appreciate your information." She then turned around to the two men behind her. "We're up for a tough fight. You better take a quick rest and prepare before we go in for the kill." She advised.

Her companions agreed and took a few sips of the delicious spring water. They'd never felt so refreshed!

"I wonder if these mushrooms are edible...?"

"If you wanna get sick, be my guest Rusty." Zidane teased.

As soon as they were ready, the party continued forward. Determination was burning in their eyes.

A few more Fangs and Goblins showed up along the way but they were no match for two royal generals and an expert thief.

After a while, they reached what it looked to be a cave. They went in. The ground was made solely by plant roots which led to a single gigantic plant monster in the middle. Princess Garnet was trapped behind it.

They rushed towards the monster.

Upon noticing the intruders, the master plant gushed out pollen to their eyes.

"Wh-What is this? My eyes burn!" Steiner shouted.

"Use some eye drops and you'll be fine." Beatrix advised as she jumped as high as she could to slash one of the plant's tentacles.

The armored man did as he was told and as soon as the pain stopped, he followed the female general and tackled the monster.

As for Zidane, as observant as he was, he noticed a helmet tangled at the plant's roots. If he could get close enough to steal it, it would make a good armor piece for sir rustalot. So, taking advantage of the fact that it was focused on the other two, he swiftly ran towards the Plant Brain and cut some of the roots, releasing the helmet. Taking it in his hands, he could tell it was made of iron.

From the position he was in, he had perfect vision of Garnet.

The monster still didn't realize Zidane was there, so it was probably the best chance he had to rescue the girl.

Although, it seems like luck isn't his best friend...

When he tried to get near the Princess, a group of 5 more plant-like monsters showed up. One of them was holding Vivi inside its tentacle cage.

* * *

><p><em>Obs: Things are starting to look a little different from the original story but there aren't many major differences yet. Although, the first real Boss (Plant Brain) only held Garnet captive. Here, he has her and Vivi, as well and there are minions by the Boss' side. How will the fight develop? Find out next chapter! :D<em>

_Zidane's Trance ability used: Dyne - Free Energy._


	3. Fight!

Vivi was walking all the way back to Prima Vista to let the crew know what they were up to, like Zidane had asked him to do. He was still feeling responsible for Garnet, but he knew they would surely save her. Then, they'd be able to get out of the Evil Forest. But after that, what should he do? He was all alone now, since his grandpa died a week ago. Well, no use in thinking about it now. First, he needed to get back to the ship. The rest would flow.

As he reached the small swamp just before the area where Tantalus were, he was ambushed by a group of plant-like monsters. In his head, he knew what he should do. Casting a fire spell would easily do the trick, but once again fear overcame his reason. He was caught.

The monsters waddled back all the way he came and went further into the forest until they reached a cave covered by roots. When they entered it, Vivi saw Zidane and the others fighting a Plant Brain.

"Vivi!" Zidane shouted when he saw the little boy trapped.

Steiner's attention was caught at their direction.

"Ah, I knew we shouldn't have let him go alone!"

"Adelbert Steiner, focus!" Beatrix called him back to the fight.

The man shook his head and raised his sword just in time to defend against one of the monster's tentacles.

"Monkey boy! Although I hate to admit it, we really could use your help over here!" Oh Gaia, it took every bit of energy Beatrix had in her body to admit something like that.

Zidane's eyes rolled turning to Vivi, Garnet and the monster Boss.

Noticing the boy was confused, Beatrix persuaded him.

"If we kill the Boss first, the minions will retreat and we rescue both the Princess and the mage, so get your tail over here!"

Steiner was perplexed. He never heard Beatrix talk that way nor get frustrated.

At that very moment, the Plant Brain rose all its tentacles into the air forming a yellow-ish ball above them. Next thing they knew, thunder was striking all around the alcove. One of the electrical rays fell directly at Steiner.

The man, covered himself with his sword, without thinking. Fortunately, that was exactly what saved his life. His blade absorbed the electricity.

It was then that he had an idea.

"Master Vivi!"

The boy looked at Steiner.

"Use your magic on my sword! It could absorb it too making it more powerful!"

Vivi agreed and began casting his magic.

While they were getting ready, Beatrix continued slashing at the monster with all her might, until she finally felled one of the four tentacles. Zidane, right next to her, providing a few assists.

Needless to say, the monster wasn't a tiny bit happy about getting dismembered. So, in retaliation, it invoked thunder again.

Though this time, they were aware of it and were able to successfully dodge the sparks.

A few moments later, Vivi signaled he and the armored man were ready to attack.

Beatrix and Zidane jumped back a few meters in order to leave Steiner a free way to strike.

The man rushed to the monster's side and, with his sword enveloped in red flames, he cut it in half.

The monster growled with pain and, in a matter of seconds, it turned to ashes.

The other smaller plants got afraid and ran away.

"We did it!" Zidane celebrated.

They made their way to the back of the cave to free Garnet, still unconscious.

That was when Blank showed up, almost out of breath.

"Zidane!"

"Blank? What are you doing all the way out here?"

"Right now, it doesn't matter. Just run!"

"Wh-why?" Vivi felt uneasy.

They got out of the cave and saw millions, or maybe more, plant monsters coming their way.

"Damn! Those others didn't run, they went to call for backup!" Beatrix realized.

The group started to flee, the Princess in Steiner's arms.

As they ran as fast as they could, Steiner looked back for a second and saw that everything behind them was turning into stone.

"Faster!" He advised.

A light could finally be seen from behind the trees. They were almost out of the forest.

But Steiner tripped over a root just a few inches out of the woods, making Garnet fall.

As Blank was the one farther back, he rushed to pick the Princess and push her the few inches out. Then, he threw a map at Zidane.

That was it. The monsters caught him and he turned hard to stone with the rest of the Evil Forest.

The monkey boy shouted for his friend.

Even Steiner teared up a little. It was he's fault the boy got caught and he even saved the Princess...

Beatrix placed her sword on the ground and bowed down in respect to him. She must admit, for a bandit, he was rather courageous and noble.

* * *

><p>They settled a tent and a campfire further away from the stone forest.<p>

Garnet woke up.

"What happened...?"

They explained the situation.

"We must go back to Alexandria at once!" Steiner claimed.

"First, we should rest here. Garnet's still not fully recovered. Second, how are we going to leave this place? We're surrounded by forest and tall cliffs. The North and South Gates are also shut down."

Beatrix was quiet in a corner, deep in thought. There was a passage somewhere around that place that could lead them to Dali. Queen Brahne had jurisdiction over that village, so it would be easy to find a way back to Alexandria.

The group went to sleep. Steiner was on guard duty.

Zidane woke up in the middle of the night and went to the Evil Forest's entrance.

"I'll find a way to bring you back, buddy..."

"I'll help." Garnet said as she approached him. "He saved me, after all."

"Yeah. He'll be happy if you do."

* * *

><p>Morning came fast and Beatrix had the map open in her hands.<p>

"I knew it. There's a cave to the south. If we go there, we can probably get above the mist and move out to the nearest village.

"Alright, let's go." Zidane agreed.

"Waaaaaaaait~!"

"Monty, you're safe!" Beatrix was happy to see the moogle.

"Yeah, I was right behind you when you left the woods. I have something for you guys." He handed over a flute. "If you ever need me or any of my friends, call us with the flute."

"Thanks, we will." Zidane finished.

With that, the unusual party of two royal guards, a princess, a thief and a mage made its way to the icy caverns.

* * *

><p><em>Obs: And that's it for another chapter. It's interesting to see Beatrix show some feelings and reactions for once. She wasn't always so dull and duty focused. Let's see how things go next time, shall we? :p<em>


	4. Nightmare

The team was ready for departure to their next destination: Icy Carven. It's directly south of the Evil Forest, but it would still take almost a day to reach it by foot. So, before stepping on their journey, Beatrix and Steiner gathered a few fruits and other edible plants so they could refill their energy along the way.

Why did Beatrix gather food for _everyone_? Even herself didn't know. All she knew was she needed to get to Dali as soon as possible.

"It's difficult to see where we're going with all this mist..." Observed the armored man.

"You're right... Hey, Vivi! Why don't you light a torch? It will make our path a bit easier to figure out."

Vivi was just about to light a piece of wood when Beatrix slapped his hand.

"What are you? Morons? If you do that, it'll attract the attention of monsters. We're already vulnerable enough as we are, at the moment."

The mage covered his eyes with his hat.

"You don't need to shout or _it'll attract monsters._" Zidane countered.

"Remind me again why you're still alive?" The female general was obviously annoyed.

"I don't like the monkey boy as much as you do, but it isn't our right to punish him. It's our Queen's." Steiner vocalized.

"Will you all just stop?! We're already surrounded!"

Garnet was right. A pack of big blue foxes were gathered around them, gritting their fangs, ready to strike their prey.

"Oh my luck... Careful with their tails. These are Mu and they're known for whipping their tails with brutal strength." Beatrix informed them. "Princess, stand back."

Beatrix ran towards one Mu without much delay and brought her sword to the foe in a downward strike. Steiner followed her lead and did the same.

One of the monsters ran in circles around Zidane with incredible speed. The boy's eyes couldn't keep up with its movements. The monster slapped Zidane in the back fracturing some of his bones.

Zidane fell hard on the ground with intense pain.

Seeing he was in trouble, Garnet couldn't stand still and ran to his side, desperate.

"Get out of here, Garnet! You'll get hurt!"

"Just let me help you!" The girl placed her hands on his fractured spine and a light appeared.

Zidane felt a sweet chill in his bones and suddenly, the pain went away.

"You know how to use white magic?"

The girl nodded and let him know she'd assist him and the others when needed.

Vivi cast two or three fire spells against their enemies and soon, the battle finished with the party victorious.

* * *

><p>The sun was setting down and there was still a long walk ahead of them.<p>

The group decided to place a few tents to rest and spend the night.

The blond boy was by the bonfire cooking some of the edibles they had collected earlier that day.

"Hmm~ Smells so good!" Garnet praised.

"I may not look like it, but I'm a good cook." He told her. "Say... Thanks for earlier. You saved me."

"You don't need to thank me. You also saved me back in the forest. And you even granted my wish of being kidnapped."

The pair giggled.

Steiner wasn't enjoying their proximity one tiny bit so he forcefully sat between the two, glaring at Zidane with killing intent.

Time to sleep came in a heartbeat. Considering the freaky days they'd had to go through, they all slept like babies. All, except for one.

* * *

><p><em>Everywhere she looked, all she could catch sight of was plain darkness. No matter how much she walked, everything was pitch black around her.<em>

_There was a strange noise in the background. She couldn't really tell what it was but it sounded like voices? Tons of voices merged together._

_Beatrix sat and closed her eyes. She listened closely._

_"..."_

_The voices got clearer and clearer._

_"...rer..."_

_"...derer..."_

_Finally, she could tell with precision what they were saying._

_"**MURDERER!**"_

Beatrix woke up almost breathless. She moved into a siting position and tried to calm down. Looking to her left, she saw the Princess was still soundly asleep.

The honey-colored woman exited her tent to get some air. It wasn't the first time she had that dream. Every time, she was engulfed with darkness and millions of unknown voices called her a murderer. Were they really unknown, though...?

It was almost breaking dawn. Soon, the others would wake up and they'd be on their way to the caverns.

There was still some food left, enough to get them through the trip.

A few minutes later, Steiner left the tent he was forced to share with Vivi and Zidane. Obviously, the problem was Zidane. He would have no objections to share it with just Master Vivi.

"Ah, Beatrix. You're up early."

The woman gave him a silent nod, avoiding eye contact.

"Is there anything we need to get before we continue the trip?" He pondered as he approached her.

Upon sensing him getting closer, she flicked.

"Are you okay...?" He shot her a glance before she turned her face. "Your eyes are all red. Did you not rest well?"

"I'm fine. Let's wake the others up. We should be on our way soon."

The man grabbed Beatrix by the arm and pushed her back to him.

"Aren't we partners? You should tell me what's wrong."

Beatrix's lips were sealed like a tombstone, her heart beating faster than usual.

"If you get sick, it might jeopardize the Princess' safety!"

Upon hearing that sentence, she was reminded why she hated the man so much. She freed her arm from his clutches and went to pack up their things.

Steiner just stood there, watching her as if he was a guard dog. (which he kinda was... xD)

In time, the three remaining group members also woke up.

* * *

><p><em>Obs: Sorry for that small observation in the brackets, above. But it needed to be said. Steiner was just like a guard dog, in the first moments of the game xD<em>

_But the way he pushed Beatrix to his side, that was manly as fuck :3 Although he was just worried about Garnet and not exactly her. Poor Beatrix, getting her hopes up for nothing... xD_

_And Zidane and Garnet, becoming all cozy with one another~ ^w^_

_Hope you're enjoying so far. More interesting stuff will surely come! :p_

_See ya guys soon!_


	5. A warm welcome to the Icy Caves

Filled with eternal icy crystals and numerous different flowers of green, blue and purple hues. That is how the Icy Cavern looked like when the party arrived at its entrance. The frozen ground was made up of natural steps. From the sides of the cavern, a cold breeze could be felt. Garnet informed that monsters could appear from the icy winds. At least, that's what she read in a book in the castle's library.

With that heads up, they proceeded with caution.

Further ahead, Zidane noticed there were a few strange walls.

"There's gotta be something behind it..." He thought as he knocked on one of the odd walls.

Vivi got closer to inspect, as well.

"Maybe you can melt it with your fire spells." The mage boy cast fire and thereafter, the wall melted down revealing an ether.

Lucky!

"There might be more hidden items behind those walls." Beatrix concluded.

"We're counting on you, Vivi." Zidane said.

The boy nodded.

The team continued forward from one room to another.

They rarely entered battle mode, as they were being cautious thanks to Garnet's warning. Only a couple of Cave Imps dared to attack them. Poor monsters, didn't even last a second.

On the far side of the room they were currently in, was another weird wall. Vivi did his thing and they found an elixir, this time.

Was luck on their side, this time around?

Beatrix was starting to feel uneasy. You know what they say... When alms are big, the poor suspects something.

Anyway, they kept on looting a few more items along the way.

Eventually, the interior of the cave changed from the stair-like ground to long platforms, similar to catwalks. They followed the path, going north until they reached a fork. They opted to head left, first.

In the room after the fork, there was a frozen rock on top of a pedestal. Vivi rose his hand and a ball of fire was hurled towards the rock.

"HOT! HOT! HOT!" It wasn't a rock after all, but a frozen moogle.

"My name is Mois. Thanks for saving me!"

"No problem, little guy. Glad you're okay, now." Beatrix smiled.

"Can I ask you a favor?"

The female general said yes.

"Can you deliver a letter to Gumo for me?" He handed the piece of paper to Beatrix. "And one more thing. Be careful. There's something evil lurking around here..."

The group thanked him for the information and went back to the fork, this time choosing the right path.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Zorn and Thorn were running up the stairs that lead to the Royal Chamber, frantically. They knocked on the door and the Queen gave them permission to enter her room.<p>

"He has arrived, your Majesty."

"Arrived he has."

"Good. Let him inside and leave me with him, alone." Brahne ordered the twin clowns.

The said man made his way trough the mahogany door, leaving a sweet but strong perfume along his way, and shut it close behind him.

The clowns didn't trust the man. Actually, they didn't even know if he was a man or a woman, by the clothes that person wore. Though the Queen didn't bother about such trivial matters. All she wanted was to get things done and he/she was perfect for the job.

"Beatrix is taking too long. I need you to go and get my foolish daughter along with the Royal Pendant right this moment!"

"They must be somewhere around the Icy Cavern, by now..." The mystery man concluded.

"Send one of our precious toys, if needed. Just make sure Garnet is captured alive."

"And the others?"

"I don't care about the rats. If Beatrix dies as well, it will be fine. I only need Garnet and the necklace. Nothing else."

The man nodded and turned away to leave the chambers.

* * *

><p>The right path led them to the outside. It was so cold! They weren't prepared for such a harsh weather though there was no other option but to go ahead.<p>

A few minutes had gone by and Vivi was lagging behind them. Suddenly, he fell down to a lower icy platform. Steiner walked up to the edge calling for him. He met the same fate as the one he called Master Vivi and also fell.

"Yo, Rusty! You're... Not alright, are you?" Zidane asked as he kicked the man's armor.

"No, Princess!" Zidane heard Beatrix's voice from the upper ledge.

"She's out cold, as well. This is really bad." The woman said.

Then, both Beatrix and Zidane felt their eyes heavy and a slight pain making its way up to their skulls. Soon after, both were down with the rest of the team.

* * *

><p>*Ring Ring*<p>

Zidane heard a unuasual sound masked by the strong blizzard's one.

"Is someone there...?"

He walked towards where he believed the sound came from, hugging himself to fend off the cold airs.

"Why didn't you fall asleep?"

A voice came over from a frozen waterfall.

Zidane immediately adopted a defensive stance.

"You should be dead by now!" The one who threatened him awfully resembled Vivi, though this guy had a brown-ish leather coat, blue wings sprouting from his back and, instead of sweet caring eyes, his were evil-yellow.

The Black Mage played a small chime he was holding in his right hand and a giant sea lion materialized by his side.

"That thing's a sea lion? More like a sea monster!" Zidane stepped back a few meters since the monster was already in for the kill with a blizzard spell.

Zidane was able to dodge the iced block.

Then, he rushed in from the side and sliced it with his twin daggers.

The monster let out a growl.

"You will never be able to kill it!" The mage shouted as he rose his hand to also cast blizzard.

The boy tried to move away from his range but it didn't really matter, as the spell was direct to the sea lion instead.

"What?! It's healing him?"

"Yes, you're no match for both of us."

The sea lion extended his arms and clawed on the boy's shoulder.

As he was busy looking for a potion in his pocket to heal his wound, the black mage hurled a fire ball at him.

Fortunately for Zidane, Beatrix showed up and sliced the fiery ball in two, extinguishing it.

"Thanks Beatrix!"

"I didn't save you, I just postponed your death sentence so we can finish this monster fast and rescue Garnet."

"Garnet...?" The mage muttered. "The Princess shall be coming with me."

"Not if I can help it!" She dashed towards the magical figure in front of her and plunged her sword to his chest.

The black mage didn't even budge.

She stepped backwards.

"Physical attacks won't do much to that thing..." She determined.

To her right, Zidane was having a hard time with the other enemy.

The sea monster suddenly called upon the power of a tsunami wave.

"Is this a joke?!" Zidane shouted.

It was impossible to avoid the attack and both were hit by the powerful wave.

The black mage rose his hands and froze the remainder of the tide, trapping Beatrix and Zidane's feet.

"Argh! I can't move!" The boy struggled with all his strength to break the ice, but to no avail.

"It's magical ice. It's impossible to break with ordinary attacks or fire. Only other magical spells will work." Beatrix informed.

Great. If only Vivi was conscious...

The sea lion moved forward, hitting Beatrix with its arms, then it hit Zidane and so on.

The black mage started laughing crazily, seeing them being beaten up.

After a few more strikes, both Zidane and Beatrix's bodies started to shine.

Yes! The trance mode couldn't have come in a better time!

Zidane closed his eyes to collect some energy. That energy was soon released in the form of a flaming wave, melting the ice that once glued them to the floor.

Now free, the female general leapt just above the sea lion and, with a diagonal slice, the monster died. The force of the cut was such that it propagated in a 5 meter radius, felling the black mage too.

With both foes gone, the two teammates let out a breath of relief and chuckled together at a job well done.

"You're actually pretty skilled for a mere thief." She recognized.

"You're pretty strong yourself."

The ice that covered the waterfall disappeared like smoke. All that was left was a voice.

"You defeated No.1. But No.2 and No.3 will reclaim the Princess."

Zidane frowned upon hearing those words but right now, the important was they saved the Princess once again.

* * *

><p><em>Obs: This chapter was slightly bigger than the others, but since I didn't want to break the fight in two, I continued writing.<em>

_Seems like Beatrix is slowly warming up to the idea of having to work together with Zidane. :p_

_Also, you may not understand very well what I meant with "When alms are big, the poor suspects something.". It's a famous portuguese saying, but I don't know how it sounds to you guys translated. Weird probably? xD It just means that, when too many good things happen at a time, it's suspicious and something bad is surely to come afterwards._

_Trance mode used:_

_.Zidane - Dyne: Tidal Flame_

_.For Beatrix, I had to create an original one, as in the game they never did one for her._

_Until next chapter, guys!_


	6. The world, coffee and a peaceful village

After the battle with the mysterious Black Mage and the Sea Lion, Beatrix and Zidane went back to check on the rest of the guys. When they reached them, they were up and healthy. Without further ado, the team made its way out of the Icy Cavern and into the top of the cliff. From there, a small village could be spotted a few kilometers away.

"Finally, Dali is just a little further from here." Beatrix stated.

Princess Garnet immediately started walking towards the village but Zidane halted her.

"You're a princess. You can't just storm the place."

Garnet couldn't understand why.

"You see, the way you talk and walk will give your position away, quickly. Try talking more like me and Vivi. Also, you need to have a fake name from now on."

"What in Gaia are you saying, you filthy monkey?! There is no need for such things, as the princess is returning to Alexandria!" Steiner intervened, angrily.

"Shut it, Rusty!"

"Beatrix, say something, as well!"

The female general coldly faced the man and quickly started climbing down the path. To her, it didn't really matter what they wanted to call Garnet. Fighting over it would be just a waste of time. Dali was so close, which meant that soon, she'd be out of that place and returning to the castle with her mission complete.

Noticing that the woman just ignored him, Steiner started flapping his arms to gather her attention, but to no avail.

As for Garnet, she agreed with Zidane. She needed a new identity. She moved a few steps closer to the boy and took one of his small blades out of their sheath.

"What's this called?" She wondered while regarding the blade attentively.

"Ah, that's a dagger. All small blades are called daggers. Longer swords are-" Zidane started his explanation with pride, only to be interrupted.

"Okay, I get it. I shall be called Dagger, from now on."

The tailed boy looked at her and made a signal of some sorts with his head.

"Ah, right. I "_will_" be called Dagger, now."

With that matter settled, the group rushed down the cliff's path to catch up with Beatrix.

* * *

><p>When they approached the village, they saw a small house at the foot of a hill to the right. Vivi was quite curious and asked if they could just check it out for a second. To his surprise, neither Beatrix nor Steiner were opposed to his proposition.<p>

Vivi knocked on the door, when they arrived next to the lonesome house.

A single man received them as the door opened.

"Travelers?" The man asked with a gentle smile. "Come on in, I was jus' about ta serve some coffee."

"So-sorry for disturbing..." The mage boy whispered.

They went inside to the kitchen and sat down around a small table. It was a very humble kitchen. Nothing really stood out except for the fireplace planted to the right and a scale model of a ship to the left.

Zidane regarded the model with curiosity.

"Are ya perhaps interested in this little beauty?" The man turned to Zidane as he was pouring the coffee in the cups.

"Yeah, I like it."

"Let's see... If ya bring me some rare coffee, I'll give it to ya, what do ya say?"

The monkey boy scratched the back of his neck.

"I always wanted ta try burman, kirman and moccha coffee. If ya ever find these, bring'em ta me and that model will be yours in return."

"Alrighty, will do!"

* * *

><p>Beatrix stood atop the hill, contemplating the view while waiting for the others to finish drinking their beverage.<p>

The mage who attacked them when they were in the caves... Was it one of those things Queen Brahne had talked about before? And what was Vivi? Shouldn't he be the same as the said mage?

Either way, what exactly was she doing...? It wasn't like her to waste time on meaningless things.

"Focus!" She shouted at herself.

"Beatrix, we've finished. Shall we go to Dali, now?" Dagger came up the hill to call her, not long after.

The female general vocalized no words. She just turned around and proceeded to climb down the stairs.

* * *

><p>Dali village was a very calm and peaceful place. There were only a few simple houses, an inn and a windmill further back. Vivi wanted to visit the windmill as soon as they arrived, but Zidane told him it would be best to get some rest before exploring the small town.<p>

"Hey, doesn't Vivi look more bright?" Dagger noticed.

"You're right. Maybe seeing new places and getting to know the world will be good for him." Zidane agreed.

Once they settled in their designated room, Zidane finally decided to clear some questions he had.

"Say Dagger, why did you want to leave the castle?"

Steiner promptly stopped what he was doing to listen to their conversation.

"There is a reason I must leave this kingdom..." The girl started. "I cannot tell you why but..."

"Princess, you mustn't!" The armored man interjected.

"You!" Beatrix shouted at the man. "You come with me." And she left the premisses pulling Steiner against his own will.

Outside, they saw a small moogle. It was Gumo.

"Hey, didn't we have a letter for Gumo?" Beatrix tried to recall.

She approached the little fella and, after going through her pockets she found, indeed, a letter addressed to him from Mois. After handing the paper over, the moogle thanked her.

"You really do like moogles, don't you?"

"Do-don't be ridiculous!" The honey-colored woman was obviously blushing.

Why couldn't she act always this way, Steiner wondered.

"Gumo, will you do us a favour?"

The moogle turned back to Beatrix and nodded.

A few minutes later, two voices jumbled up could be heard.

"Beatrix, where are you? The Queen is getting impatient!"

"Impatient the Queen is!"

"Calm down, Zorn, Thorn. We've just arrived in Dali. How do we return to Alexandria from here?"

The twins confided between them and then answered the general.

"There will be a special cargo ship arriving tomorrow morning. You can ride it back to the castle."

"Special cargo ship...?" Steiner intervened.

"Oh, Steiner's alive."

"Alive Steiner's, too."

The two sounded awfully disappointed, somehow.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Also, you have an explanation to give me when we arrive." Beatrix finished, once again ignoring the loud man beside her.

With that, the connection faded.

Beatrix thanked the moogle and waltzed off somewhere.

* * *

><p><em>Obs: Poor Steiner. Zorn and Thorn don't seem to like him very much. xD<em>

_Well, that's it for another chapter, guys! See ya in a few days! :D_


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